Wellness Blog

Impatience and hostility -- two characteristics of a "type A" personality -- increase young adults' long-term risk of developing hypertension.

However, other psychological and social factors such as competitiveness, depression and anxiety did not increase the hypertension risk, the study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, showed.

The study authors said the analysis is the first to examine as a group the effects of key type A behaviors, depression and anxiety on the long-term risk for high blood pressure.

Researchers say westernized Chinese are moving away from the traditional diet rich in vegetables and green tea and instead adopting the typical American diet that contains larger amounts of animal fats - a dietary shift that may be increasing their risk of heart disease and stroke.

The study was presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Atlanta. Villagers in Pan Yu, a town in Guangdong Province in southern China, emphasize the traditional Chinese diet of vegetables, rice and green tea, said Dr. Kam Woo, professor and consultant cardiologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.